Luis’ Story
When Luis first stepped into the Samaritan House Free Clinic of Redwood City in late 2023, he was worried about his health. Despite working full-time as an automotive painter and managing his daily expenses, the thought of additional medical bills felt overwhelming. “I was noticing changes in my body, my skin, and my eyes. Someone […]
A Family’s Fight Against Food Insecurity
Elena first discovered Samaritan House during the COVID-19 pandemic when she needed extra support to keep her family fed. Living in Burlingame with her husband and two children, she quickly found that life in the Bay Area posed serious challenges. The high cost of living and limited job opportunities made it difficult to make ends […]
Cynthia’s Story
Cynthia and her husband dreamed of building a better future — one where their children could get the medical care they urgently needed. In 2020, they made the courageous decision to leave everything they knew behind in Honduras and seek asylum in San Mateo County. Two of their three children suffer from serious medical conditions: […]
Charin’s Story
Samaritan House was there when a patient with cancer had nowhere to turn. After a harrowing several months, Charin is now cancer-free. Charin has been living and working in San Mateo providing cleaning services for both businesses and private homes. Despite working over 40 hours a week, it was always a struggle to make ends […]
Abelardo’s Story
https://player.vimeo.com/video/531087331 When all five members of Abelardo’s family contracted COVID-19 during Thanksgiving 2020, Samaritan House was there to support them. A team effort led by Dr. Massy Safai, volunteer physician, helped keep the family successfully quarantined. Through telehealth visits, our medical team was able to assess the family’s health and deliver the appropriate medications. Samaritan […]
Haydee’s Story
Meet Haydee Payhua from Peru. After journeying to America with the hopes of a better life, managing her medical finances proved to be a struggle for her and her partner. Haydee, a retired educator, was living with significant medical issues. In 2016, she was introduced to Samaritan House and our free medical clinics. It was […]
Marshae’s Story
At Samaritan House, we take a holistic approach to caring for our clients. When it came to remarkable single mom Marshae, our spectrum of services ensured that her wellness and that of her son Makai were taken care of. Moving to East Palo Alto in 2018 and having to live on her own for the […]
Sal’s Story
https://player.vimeo.com/video/513165041 For 18 years, Sal had earned a comfortable living working as an electrician. In his late 50’s, alcohol pushed him to the bottom and he lost his job and home. Sal was ultimately hospitalized because of the toll alcohol had taken on his health. After release from the hospital, Sal was referred to Samaritan […]
Patti’s Story
https://player.vimeo.com/video/345804483 Patti put her adult daughter’s needs ahead of her own and found herself homeless on her 70th birthday. In 2000, she relocated from Georgia to San Mateo to help her mentally ill daughter care for her newborn son. Patti is no stranger to hard work. Despite chronic knee pain, she worked as an Uber […]
Michael’s Story
Michael has made a fresh start and is turning a new chapter in his life. Now a hopeful father in his 30s, Michael got involved with drugs at an early age and lived on the streets before reaching out to local agencies for help. He and his girlfriend Janet, with whom he shares two children, […]